Gender is perhaps the main category that people use for categorization of human beings. It is the main issue that discusses image. The media has a lot of stereotypes for the females. The televisions, films, and all the popular magazines are full of girls and women picture. Some of them are typically white, the others are desperately thin and made of the hilt. Several people agree that treads are made depending on how the media portrays the films, magazines and television represent the women. The last few decades have shown a growth in the influence and presence of women in media, especially behind the scenes. Females also continue to thrive through stereotypes in the press as they continue to strive every day (Brooks & Hebert, 2006, p. 98).
The main aim of this research is help in portraying how women and
...girls contribute in affecting on body image and self-identity to help in ramifications in politics and sports. The interests of the economy are to assist in objectification and eroticization of the females by the media. Mostly there are harmful efforts that counter some negative stereotyping. It also provides the latest studies and articles that that explore all the ways in which the media limits or empowers women and the girls in the society.
In a question from a questionnaire developed in the United States, several issues were produced concerning the media and how women are represented in the press. First question based on how the media focuses on the women. Secondly, the questionnaire had a question on how the growth of mass media affects the representation of women in the world today. The third question wa
on the role of advertisements and how they portray women as well (Byerly & Ross, 2008, p. 99). On the fourth question, the research viewed on how women are unequally treated in every positive or negative aspect of life. On the fifth question, the study displayed on how commonly women are considered and less engaged with information and communication Technology than the men. Finally, the questionnaire was trying to seek on the impact of social ICT on women. The research below will try to find answers to the questions of the survey.
From the results of the inquiry, it is clear that traditional media mostly focuses on how women are being viewed in the press. From my view, the media can focus on how slowly a whole host of negative on limiting the aspects of women. Women are used to representing several trends of the press. Women accounted for beauty, sexuality, size, relationships and emotional dealings. Women are usually portrayed through the context of thinking or working (Ross & Sreberny, 2000, p. 98). For instance, in drama, women tend to take the role of a helper or even an object. Women representation who make it to on the page and screen usually tend to be stereotypical. In the conformation of the societal expectations and other characters may not fit in the molding trend that can be seen to be dangerous. The debates about the representation of women in the media tend to revolve around some focus on the physical beauty to the near-exclusions of other values.
The results also show that the growth of the mass media in the present years has led to a huge impact
towards women and how the society looks at them. Technologically, the new technologies of communication have become quite prominent to the people in many households. The new communication technologies have changed the perception of men to women gradually. It has resulted to what women are today. Back in the past years of 1990, women representation has still been stereotypical and has changed over time (Brooks & Hebert, 2006, p. 45). The human culture believes that men are stronger while women are viewed to be weak. Women cannot achieve anything other than pleasing men and also to look after them. Through the intervention of the television, the media started coming up with television shows where women can be seen as being portrayed as sex symbols, sometimes being gold diggers and as weak homemakers. The media has also set a limit for the listeners to perceive women in a way that is very common for individuals to think of women in a corrupt way.
Advertisements have a huge role that portrays individual belongings as well. Even though the posters are straightforward and short, it usually gives a large impact and enormous influence to the viewers. For instance, back in 1994, the advertisement of Calvin Klein by Mark Wahlberg and Kate Moss becomes very controversial at that time due to the mindset of the society that was not open yet (Ross & Sreberny, 2000, p. 67). The picture of Kate Moss was pictured half-naked only wearing underwear that was produced by Calvin Klein in one of his photographs. Mixed reactions were received when the advertisement was released and shown to the public.
The research also shows that the advert was
inappropriate since the advertisement showed that the women are only used as a sex symbol object. A trend was also started that showed a woman being in a skimpy clothing on the advertisement since it was the only thing to present the women in that manner. Several groups existing out there support women from getting bullied and other cases (Brooks & Hebert, 2006, p. 89). Robert Jensen in this case, the pro-feminist cultural critics accuse the mass media and advertising for having used women as an object of promoting goods and services that are sold to the public. Women, rather than being treated as human, instead of being used as a living, and breathing mannequins to show off the goods better.
Earlier, I have mentioned plenty of times that the media has portrayed women being sex symbols. Such actions can be seen in the rap videos by artists such as Rick Ross and the other Rappers in the industry. The women are only dressed in almost nothing apart from a tight clothing to cover only their private parts or even wear stilettos. These women are presented as props in the music videos to help in attracting viewers. Such acts are not only degrading the female community but are also very shameful. The actions can be hard for the black women since they the videos need them to be dressed inappropriately and this is not suitable for the minor. The exposure of this explicit content in the rap videos promotes some unhealthy views towards the black women. Negative views will also continue to grow in other people towards these women, and it may degrade the positive traits
of these women.
Women are also very vulnerable and have been unequally treated in every positive or negative aspect of life. If women do not participate actively in life, the world might not function properly since it might fail without women because women occupy almost half of the population on earth. In the lives of the women, they need to stand firm and realize that they have rights, not only the women rights but also the right to work and have good health care, economic security, the right to have the political power and finally education being provided. Women need to change their social circumstances and situations. The attitude of men towards the sexist thoughts towards women should also change.
The main impact of ICT on women has two main advantages. First, it serves as a good tool in the mainstreaming of the gender tool and allows the women to take a more active part especially in the development of technology (Byerly & Ross, 2008, p. 46). However, the way technology is developing is now under change. The future of workforce has to work under multi-skilling and should always involve some collaborations between several workers that are at different skill levels and with different perceptions (Ross & Sreberny, 2000, p. 87). Women, under the connectivity that is given by the ICT, can easily take a role of being proactive in the development of technology. Women can easily bring a large influence in the direction of developing the technology since they are half the world's population. Women can also bring up ideas and the perceptive of shaping and directing the development of technology.
It is however commonly viewed that
women are less engaged with information and communication Technology than the men. The new communication technology is viewed as being available for everyone to use and women have a need to be equal and benefit the advantages that are offered by the technology (Brooks & Hebert, 2006, p. 234). Some of the benefits accumulated from knowledge do not need to be restricted to the upper class of the society. All of them have a need to flow freely to every part of their population. The convergence of ICT, therefore, forms an actual potential that easily reaches women who are present and have not reached any other media hence empower them to start participating in the social and economic progress and also makes an informed decision on the issues that will affect them dearly.
Most of the issues that are normally faced by the women for instance equity, empowerment of the women and gender equality have now started becoming more significant in the lives of women since they have a vital role in the growth and transfer of knowledge which also forms the prototype of the survival communities. The ICT has the potential of converging with another form of communication that have the actual potential to reach those women who are present and who have not reached to any other social media. Social media, therefore, empowers women to start participating in the social and economic progress and also make some informed decision on issues that affect them in future. As a result of the biological and social role of women, they can be more persistent than men in the regions of their habitat. Women, therefore, get to
be more aware of the environment, the social and economic needs than men of their territory.
References
- Brooks, D.E. and Hébert, L.P., 2006. Gender, race, and media representation. Handbook of gender and communication, 16, pp.297-317.
- Byerly, C.M. and Ross, K., 2008. Women and media: A critical introduction. John Wiley & Sons.
- McCormick, C.R., 1995. Constructing danger: The mis/representation of crime in the news. Fernwood Pub..
- Ross, K. and Sreberny, A., 2000. Women in the house: media representation of British politicians. Gender, politics and communication, pp.79-99.
- Schell, L., 1999. Socially constructing the female athlete: A monolithic media representation of active women.
- Saroca, C., 2002. Hearing the voices of Filipino women: violence, media representation and contested realities. University of Newcastle.
